“The Indian Constitution had been encouraging equal respect between communities.” Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Explain your decision briefly.

No doubt, India is the largest liberal democratic country of the world. Since the day it started its working, the Indian Constitution had been encouraging equal regard among all communities of the country. This was not easy in India, first because communities do not always have a relationship of equality, they tend to have hierarchical relationships with one another (as in the case of caste.)

Second, when these communities do see each other as equals, they also tend to become rivals (as in the case of religious communities).

This was a very big challenge for the framers of the Indian Constitution how to make communities liberal in their approach and foster a sense of equal respect among them under existing conditions of hierarchy or intense rivalry.

Individuals every where (including India) also belong to cultural communities and every such community has its own values, traditions, customs and language shared by its members. Most of the Indians have openly acknowledged the value of communities.

India is a land of multiple cultural communities. It was important to ensure that no one community systematically dominates others. This made it mandatory for our Constitution to recognise community-based rights.

One such fundamental rights is the right of religious communities to establish and run their own educational institutions, such institutions may receive money from the government.

This provision shows that the Indian Constitution does not see religion merely as a ‘Private’ matter concerning the individual.